Extensible elastic article



May 26, 1936.

Original Filed Oct. 20, 1932 M. M. HARRISON EXTENSIBLE ELASTIC ARTICLE (el |'l 2 Sheets-Sheet l lll ll lllll lllll lllll Maf-@y May 26, 1936. M. M. HARRISON EXTENSIBLE' ELASTIC ARTICLE original Filed oct. 2o, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n @f7/27E f7/5570i? Z'EEEZEDZ? Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EXTENSIBLE ELASTIC ARTICLE Original application October 20, 1 932, Serial No.

638,772. Divided and this application November 21, 1935, Serial No. 50,921

10 Claims.

'I'he invention relates to extensible elastic articles of thread like or reticulated sheet form.

This application is a division of my original application Serial No. 638,772 filed October 20,

1932, and entitled Method of making elastic thread and reticulated sheets of rubber or similar material and articles produced thereby.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a new and useful product of uniform quality which may be produced with a minimum expenditure of labor.

In the production of such product I make use of the novel process claimed in the aforementioned patent and described herein.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic View showing in elevation and partly in section apparatus which may be used in practicing the method of the invention in the manufacture of elastic thread or sheet material.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 showing the support-breaking device.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing in elevation and partly in section apparatus which may be used in practicing the method of the in- 3 vention in the manufacture of reticulated sheets of material.

Fig. 4 is a section on line '4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the finished elastic thread partly broken away and in section to show the construction thereof.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a piece of reticulated elastic sheet material or fabric, parts being broken away and in section to show the construction thereof. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a perforated sheet of material having a coating of elastic material deposited thereon. p Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. '7.

Briefly stated, the article of the invention comprises the structure resulting from depositing a solution or dispersion of rubber or similar elastic material upon a filament or netted web of material constituting a temporary support, vulcanizing or otherwise chemically changing the deposit to provide an elastic coating on the support, and progressively or otherwise disintegrating the support to provide an elastic and extensible structurc.

Referring to the drawings, the invention may be practiced by drawing one or more filaments or cords I 0, Ill', of weak material such as loosely twisted short cotton fibers or of untwisted cellulose or other material through a bath Il of a l solution adapted to coagulate the material to be 5 deposited thereon whereby the laments or cords are impregnated or coated with the coagulant solution. The laments or cords are then passed through a solution of natural or artificial dispersion of rubber or similar material I2, where- 10 upon the coagulant carried by the filament or cord will cause the coagulation of a film of the solution or dispersion upon the surface of the lament or cord. A sufciently thick iilm may be obtained by repeated dipping and drying with- 15 out the coagulant if desired, but when a coagulant solution such as zinc chloride is used, the coagulant may also act to disintegrate or substantially weaken the supporting cord or filament.

When it is desired to deposit rubber or similar 20 material from a solution of the same in organic solvents the coagulant may be dispensed with and the filaments or cords I0, Ill', passed directly through the bath I2 of rubber or similar solution in which case a thinner deposit will ordinarily 25 result. Y 'I'he bath I2 may be contained in a tank I3 through the bottom of which the lamentsor cords I0, I0', may enter through a exible selfclosing guide I4 formed of soft vulcanized rubber. 30

After receiving a deposit of the required thickness, which may sometimes necessitate the application of more than one coat of deposited material, the filaments or cords are drawn through a drying chamber I5 through which heated air or other gases may be circulated to facilitate drying. The filaments or cords are then subjected to vulcanization, preferably by being passed through a chamber I6 heated by steam coils I'I. 40

After vulcanization the supporting filaments or cor-ds, when not completely disintegrated, may be disintegrated by being broken into discontinuous sections I8 within the elastic coating I9 to provide an elastic extensible thread or cord. 5 A convenient apparatus for this purpose comprises a pair of platens 20, 2|, located along the path of the cords and provided with spaced ribs 22, 23 on their opposed faces arranged to traverse the path of the cords. The platen 2| is sta- 50 tionarily mounted so that its ribs 23 contact with or barely clear the coated cords passing thereover and the platen 20, whose ribs 22 are in intercalated relation to the ribs 23, is mounted for vertical movement. Platen 20 is provided with means for intermittently raising and lowering it to such an extent as to force its ribs 22 into the spaces between ribs 23, as indicated by the dot and dash lines, thereby stretching the cords beyond their elastic limits, whereupon the cords are broken into short lengths whereas the elastic coatings are unbroken. For this purpose the platen 20 may be supported by contractile coil springs 24 and an armature 25 extending above ,Y

the platen through a solenoid 26 may be used to project the platen against the Y cords at timed intervals by intermittent energizing of the solenoid.

The elastic cords having their fibrous or filamentous supports broken are then wound upon a reel 21. By close spacing of the cords I0 a continuous sheet may be produced if desired.

In applying the method to the production of reticulated or perforated sheets of elastic material a weak net fabric 30 or a perforated web of paper 42 is provided in place of the filaments or cords and is coated in a similar manner as shown in Fig. 3 by being passed from a roll 3| through a coagulant bath 32, a bath `33 of rubber latex or other solution or dispersion of rubber or similar elastic material, and then through a drying chamber 34 and vulcanizing chamber 35.

The reticulated or perforated sheet of material is then passed successively through devices 36 and 3l adapted to break the support. For this purpose a device 36 similar to that previously described for breaking cord supports may be used for breaking the longitudinal or warp cord members of the support and a similar device 31, but having its platens arranged with their cordbreaking ribs across the weft threads of the support, ,may be used for breaking the lateral elements or weft threads. When netv fabric is used as the support the resulting reticulated sheet comprising a support havingits warp and weft elements broken to provide discontinuous portions, 38 and 39, all enclosed in a continuous elastic covering of reticulated form, is ythen wound on a reel 4l. The reticulated or perforated sheet will be extensible and elastic inV all directions and may be used for manufacturing elastic bandages, girdles and the like where both elasticity and porosity to facilitate ventilation are necessary or desirable.

Where perforated paper is used as the support the rubber coating 40 will extend over the faces of the sheet and through the apertures leaving smaller apertures in the resulting sheet of material than there were in the original sheet of paper. When such a sheet is stretched the paper support, which is entirely enclosed in rubber, will be broken or torn into small disconnected portions thereby providing a perforate elastic sheet of material.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising an elastic structure enclosing a disintegrated inela-stic support,

2. An article of manufacture comprising an elastic rubber thread enclosing a disintegrated inelastic filament.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a reticulated unwoven sheet of elastic material enclosing a disintegrated reticulated support.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a reticulated sheet of elastic material having Warp and weft elements each enclosing a disintegrated support.

5. An unwoven reticulated sheet of rubber, each element of which comprises a hollow tube containing particles of a disintegrated supporting structure.

6. An article of manufacture comprising a freely extensible elastic structure, and enclosed thereby an orderly arranged group of particles of inelastic material.

7. An article -of manufacture comprising a freely extensible elastic reticulated structure, and enclosed thereby an orderly arranged group of particles of inelastic material.

8. An article of manufacture comprising a freely-extensible elastic cord, and enclosed thereby an orderlyarranged group of particles of inelastic material.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a hollow tube of elastic rubber enclosing an attenuated support of inelastic material.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a reticulated sheet of elastic rubber comprising tubular elements enclosing an attenuated support of inelastic material.

MARION M. HARRISON. 

